Environment - Sustainability

As the world’s largest food services company, Compass Group respects its obligation to safeguard its employees, clients, customers and the environment. This extends to safe workplaces, hygienically prepared food and minimising environmental impact. See the Compass Group P/L Environment Policy that governs our operations worldwide.

Wherever we operate, Compass Group is keen to contribute to a safe and healthy environment. This
commitment extends to the prevention of pollution, reduction of waste and efficient use of energy. Water saving
shower heads, light sensors and timed watering systems are just some iso logoof the simple solutions that are widely
employed across our ESS mining villages to save precious resources. Our company culture is
very focused on environmental sustainability and this shared desire to reduce waste and
conserve resources is our most valuable environmental asset.

We have ISO 14001 Environmental Management System certification for all our sites in
Australia. This globally recognised accreditation acknowledges that Compass is effectively
managing environmental risks and minimising our environmental impact.

Green Table Australia Certification

The Green Table Australia (GTA) program hosted by Restaurant and Catering
Australia (RCA) recognises hospitality industry businesses that are working to
reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and lessen their general impact on the
environment.

Our remote sites often operate in delicate outback environments, and within our company are
leading the way with regards to sustainable practices.

Microfibre

Our remote business, ESS, has developed a standardised method of cleaning
using microfiber which is now being adopted across the whole business.
Using microfiber reduces the need for harsh chemicals and requires
significantly less water than conventional cleaning methods. We have also
seen a reduction in workplace injuries amongst our housekeepers as the
microfiber cleaning tools are lighter to handle and require less physical force
to clean effectively.

Cribbing with Care

Reducing the amount of plastic and other non-degradable products going to landfill is a challenge for the whole food industry. At remote mining villages it is common practice for miners to use plastic containers to package and carry their lunches to the mine site each day – which can add up to millions of containers per year. The ESS team at one of our large NT Villages decided to tackle the problem and introduce some environmentally friendly alternatives.

Our ESS team launched an educational campaign called ‘Cribbing Up With Care’ to raise the residents’ awareness of the issue and to offer environmentally friendly and sustainable alternatives. Our team’s on-going commitment to the
campaign gained support from residents and resulted in a significant decrease in the use of the plastic containers at the mining village. The team won a Compass Star Award (pictured) for this great initiative which we plan to share with the rest of the ESS business.

Quarantine control

ESS has been proud to receive 3 client awards in recognition of our rigorous quarantine controls and
protection of a delicate conservation reserve where we manage food and accommodation services for a
mining village. Fresh fruit and vegetables by their very nature are designed to attract insects so the
challenges associated with food supplies are extremely high. Our people have demonstrated great innovation in meeting the
challenge of maintaining quarantine conditions and protecting this precious natural environment.

Recycling

Our remote ESS sites actively recycle materials such as cans, cardboard and plastics to reduce the volume of general waste going to landfill. Known as the Ruggies Recycling Program , our environmentally conscious efforts have raised over $244,000 which has been donated to the Princess Margaret Children’s Hospital in Perth for much needed equipment.

To find out more watch the video below.

In another great recycling initiative, one of our remote villages introduced the GAIA Recycle Food Waste Dehydrator which breaks down and ferments waste, producing a by-product that can be used in compost. This clever technology
delivers many benefits including reducing the production of greenhouse gases and creating a stable biomass byproduct that can be used to enhance soil quality.

At full production this site can produce 7,500 kilos of food waste per week which now makes 1,125kg of compost.

We were proud to receive a World Environment Day Award from our client in 2016 in recognition of this great sustainability initiative.